Which miniature-based wargame system is the most newbie-friendly?

Most start collecting boxes are also full of chaff or unplayable shit

No bro 22 boys , ten nobz, two pain boys and two Deff dreads is a viable Ork army.

>Yeah but two are $160
Well, first of all - I wouldn't buy on GW site. Luckily most LGSs are selling WH boxes on 80% of GW prices
>Most start collecting boxes
Some - yes but I would not say "most". At least AoS ones are good - only the Khorne is mediocre but Ironjawz, Nurgle and FEC are more than great

X-Wing
Kings of War
Frostgrave
Any 15mm game not called Flames of War because the market is huge and miniatures cheap
Head over to /awg/ for more information

Probably X-wing. The rules are simple and you don't need to buy a ton of minis to start off.

The downside is that it's Star Wars themed, but if you can stomach that, the game itself is good.

So $128? That is still more expensive than most other games, especially when you factor in that you can get eve larger discounts with other games. GW and PP are rather exclusive in limiting how much retailers can discount their models. You can find some Malifaux figures for next to 50% off.

Test of honor is 50.

>telling people to play Age of Sigmar
There's newbie friendly and there's insulting someone's intelligence.

x-ing and now 8th ed of 40k, also age of sigmar

Hordes of The Things. Alternative Armies sells complete 15mm armies.

Honestly, infinity.

The starter packs are like $40 for 6 models and you need no more than 10 to play standard sized games.

firstly, are you planning on playing with friends or at a local store? second, find out what your friends would play (sci-fi vs. fantasy setting) alternatly see what the people at your local store play. it wont help to get into a cheap game that no one plays.
even the most expensive mini game is fine, use moderation, dont purchase an entire army at once, start with a unit, make sure to check out ebay and craigs list. whatever you do, find a game that people will play with you. i have a warhammer fantasy army collecting dust because people only play 40k and maulifaux in my area

$70 gets you two full teams and everything needed to play

My one gripe with infinity is the models themselves.
Don't get me wrong, they're gorgeous, but I hate assembling them, a lack of clear instructions and the sheer amount of work needed to clean all the flash and other issues up are definitely something worth mentioning to potential new tabletop players

Arena Rex is also a good choice if you're looking for something small in model counts. You only need at max 5 models, and the starter boxes come with 3 that are totally playable.

It's also all melee all the time and has a neat alternate history setting if those are things you dig. Plus the models look great.

I would honestly suggest Saga, gripping beast sells a starter set of 60 pounds at the minimun, for one player anyway. and you can buy a small army for a 4 point game for as little as 32 pounds (25 metal figures)
plus because its the dark ages, everyone dressed the same. So the figures can be used in several armies.

grippingbeast.co.uk/Saga.html

If you don't like Star Wars but want to play a space dogfight game: Star Trek Attack wing is a thing. I love it but no one else does.

I personally miss Dungeon Command a lot.

This
Historics are the way to go

/thread

>That is still more expensive than most other games
examples?

Wow, never see it mentioned. Yeah this game was great, miss it too :(

Used to play Orcs, had a bunch of friends pick up the other sets.

X-wing.

>you still need $80 of brushes glue and paints.
also, IRL no one plays 1k.
Also, IRL, 2 start collecting while nit pure garbage, will get you pretty much stomper, and you would need a couple trygon, a couple tervigon, some more terma etc and then we are basically at $600 + just for the LUXURY to have a varied list

pick any other game, really

> Which miniature-based wargame system is the most newbie-friendly?
X-Wing or Frostgrave

> By newbie-friendly I mean best boxed deals for new players, well-thought starter sets, a low entry threshold etc.
Infinity or Wrath of Kings

>telling people to play AoS
Nice try GW

They are currently repackaging their entire lineup. but until that happens, guild ball is the 2nd most annoying game to get into outside of Europe, only behind Batman Miniature Game

Batman is pretty easy to get a hold of here in Australia, at least in NSW and a few of our bigger online stores.

Bloodbowl

even though its not technically a 'war'game
and its easier to just play online

the *really* big problem many here dont think about is the table itself, unless u want to play between books and soda cans, u will have to spend loads.

Which is why deadzone from mantic might be good (havent played it myself)

>not playing in a store

Well, those minis are nice. The murmillo helmet and the thraex are top stuff. For some reason they look big, are they 33mm or somethig like that? How's the game? The bitch about those cool little skirmish game is to find other players.

The models are 35mm scale, so they are a little on the big size. Games are all straight up kill em all games, but are quick, 30 to 45 minutes. The games attack resolution has some strategy to it, its not just roll some dice and apply wounds. Each model has a branching string of attack results, and each successful hit lets you move further along the string. Some paths just do damage, others may let you push around the target either into traps or into range of other friendly models, and others may trigger special attacks or can favor, a resourse you can use to boost attacks.

you can get the starter set AND the shadow kill team thing for like 200-300$, that's not a bad deal and will allow you to have like 3 diferent kill team set-ups plus maybe a 500-1000pts army

As an Infinity player I'm going to say definitely not Infinity. It's a daunting system with many unusual rules and some counter-intuitive mechanics. ARO system alone often makes new players scratch their heads.

AoS is the cheapest to get into (they have a $33 two-players starter box), but as I understand it's a system designed for lotsa minis.

Mercs is often called the most basic wargame, but I don't know if it's still produced and I never played it.

What about that "the walking dead" miniatures game?

Head over to /hwg/ if you're interested in a specific historical period. It has the cheapest entry barrier with dozens of miniature manufacturers for any historical period.

Basically stay away from anything proprietary ie Warhammer if you're looking for cheap.

Battletech.

It's mostly going to be the "obvious" stuff - all of these have decent starter rules, starter boxes, relatively low cost of entry, and are easy to expand:
- Guildball
- Warmachine/Hordes
- Malifaux
- Infinity
- X-Wing
- Dropzone Commander

If you're on /tg, you've probably already been warned, but stay away from whatever GW is pushing this week. That Way Lies Madness.

There's a lot of other great games being suggested on here, but most of them have qualities that make them poorly suited for newbies (steep learning curve, high cost of entry, difficulty finding local opponents, etc)

If you want a rules light miniature wargame to test the waters with and have a friend who's also interested check out Combat Storm.

Can be learned in 15 minutes, and is played with plastic army men and whatever junk you have lying around to make buildings and terrain out of. It's not very deep and you'll tire quickly but if you just want to see if you like miniature wargaming, I can't think of anything better.

Just split Dark Imperium with a friend and go from there desu.

You're going to end up spending a lot anyways, so just go with whatever looks best. Don't pussy around with a "cheaper" game if you're only worried about money. They all end up expensive at the end of the day.

It's a hobby, not just a game. Choose your favorite and savor the experience. Building and painting come far before actually playing.

Anything but historicals and warhammer. Anyone who says wh is newbie friendly is a shill. Mordheim on the otherhand is good and you can get used minis at good prices.

Dropfleet Commander is good, starter boxes get you a good size fleet with lots of extra bits and the two player box gets a full rulebook and terrain and markers. Rules are pretty straightforward and the balance is really solid.

Is Wrath of Kings still a thing? I remember enjoying the little I played of it back when it first released, but I haven't heard anyone talk about it since.

The thing about Historics is that no one has a monopoly in, say, WW2, so anyone can produce minis for any period and play any game with those. 15mm minis will play in Crossfire and Flames of War without any huge issues. Besides, for bigger stuff there is 20mm (especially on soft plastic) which is fucking cheap, and for smaller stuff 6mm is cheap as hell. Basically, historics can do just about anything.

It is in 8th

This seems like a good place to ask this question. Are there any good small skirmish level wargames (ideally in the 7-12 models, 15 at the absolute max, range) that aren't Infinity? I'm trying to get some friends into miniature wargames, but they're all turned off by games with like 50+ models and large upfront investments to get started. Ideally a fantasy game would be best, and I can probably sell them on something with a higher model count, like 20 to 30, if the setting is good and the models aren't too big of a pain in the ass to assemble and paint. Something sci-fi might also work, I guess, but they shot down Infinity, so it'd have to be especially space opera-y.

Guild Ball requires little if any terrain. It is just a playing field after all.

>$33 two-players starter box
Where would I find that? I don't see it being sold for that price at the FLGS.

Malifaux requires about 8 guys a crew (More if you are summoning). Guild Ball requires 6 in a team. Both are very tight and enjoyable games.

spectreminiatures.com/

Thanks, I'll look into those.

It's called Storm of Sigmar. My local FLGS sells it even cheaper (about $4-$5 off depending on currency rate).

Seconding. Infinity is very friendly starter-and set-wise (the 2-player starters come with player aids, card terrain and and mini campaigns that ease you into the rules), but the rules do have a steep learning curve at the start.

Bolt action.
8$ boxes of 30 infantry (On sale, anyway.) ahoy

Even without the sales you can easily snag boxes of 28mm troops for less than $1 a piece (Thanks Brexit!). The vehicles can be really cheap too if you get 1/48 model kits. That said the entry threshold is perhaps higher than other games, but if you can find a good deal for the two player starter set it isn't a bad idea.

>3 bulls and 2 ironguts
>vs 8 chaos ogres

It was an excellent light skirmish game that desserved a better company than WotC. I ended up making three additional armies with Pathfinder minis.

I would love to see Wizards at least license out another official D&D miniatures wargame. It seems like a waste that of all things, D&D's many settings, factions, and characters don't have a miniatures game.

Mercs is the schrodinger of wargames

The line exist but megacon is too busy with recon, myth and banner Saga to care and 2ed is just physical and $60

What is this and why I haven't heard of it?

I built my saga army with about 4 or 5 boxes of the old wargames factory plastics which was obscenely cheap, plus its a very good game.

What's the difference between Dropfleet and Dropzone commander?

Dropfleet is orbital engagements
Dropzone is surface engagements

which one is better?
no, better question which one is more "accesible" for the wallet?

>ITT: players of dying wargames try to desperately shill their shit to hold back the onslaught of 8th edition where the only advantages they had over 40k are being taken away from them

Seconding frostgrave although you need a lot of terrain

Like the sensible pricing of gw product?

Sure thing boyo.
Bet you're pleased your eldar army didn't get the dick kicking.
>change is bad.

Whatever you are interested in. My favourite game right now is Relicblade. So that's the most accessable for me.

But in general, probably 40k, wargaming is social, and 40k has the largest community. Even I am thinking about getting into 40k, because the infinity community in my city is dead.

Test of honor is new. Also very self explanatory.
I think it's worth it just for the multibases.

Both games are very good and well balanced.
IMO Dropfleet's a bit better. It's newer, and the space combat genre's a bit more dynamic.

This is holding me back, I don't have enough time to make enough scenery for a 3x3 table

But now that I got some LoR miniatures (the plastic fellowship, shield maiden Eowyn, Saruman and a ugly character orc) I have enough to make a human warband, because I already have a beastmen warband so I can do demo games and pick up players

I'm in the same boat, except I have to play Guild Ball or X-Wing as that is all that people play here. 40K and Infinity are sort of dead, but the former at least gets monthly events.

>GB and X-wing
I envy you, A LOT

Really? I'm in NY, and the 3 LGS' around here stock it, and it's got pretty big communities out here

>Requires little terrain
As a pundit, I have to say this is incorrect. HOWEVER, the terrain is extremely easy to find/make, I just used some spare cardboard, some cork and flock, and made easy obstructions, barriers, fast ground, and rough ground.

Ever since kick off came out it's exploded.

Dis nigga gets it

Nah M8, Dropzone is better because little teeny dudes zapping eachother in a city is my favorite, but I'm biased because I play resistance and cannot into space

...

Mordheim. Most fun I've ever had in a skirmish game, though none of the minis are in print anymore the rules are free and you can still find originals online or use just about anything. Most factions cap at 12-15 guys with only one able to bring 20. It's a good beer and pretzels game that focuses a lot on what happens to your dudes as they try to make their fortune in a radioactive fantasy wasteland.

Mordheim is kind of a tough sell for newcomers looking for something to stick with. It's very terrain intensive and the idea of picking up a dead wargame that will never have new content isn't particularly appealing when compared to something like Infinity or Malifaux.

Probably X-Wing. Just buy ships and put them on the table. Rules also seem simple enough.

Something like Frostgrave deserves an honorable mention as you can basically play it with whatever miniatures you can find.

Infinity and Malifaux are both good options if you don't mind digging through a rather complex rules system. Both use few minis so you'll be fully painted in no time.

Warmachine/Hordes uses more miniatures that any of the above and will thus take more time to assemble/paint. I'd say the rules are a bit easier to learn than Infinity or Malifaux, but not by much.

Warhammer (of any flavor) I would not recommend. They require a lot more miniatures. With 8th edition the 40k rules seem rather noob-friendly, but then you're playing 40k and that's a bad idea for obvious reasons.

>all these dead game recommendations
Figure out what other people play where you live and then pick one you like best.

Holy fuck, this. Veeky Forums is filled with retarded hipsters.

They would go so far as to suggest that a new player should start a community if a region doesn't have one just to justify their purchases.

Whatever the people in your area are playing. None of them have especially difficult rules to understand, and even Warhammer has some reasonably priced starter sets these days.
No community = no game.

This

GW has skirmish versions of both of their major IP's, plus 2 dead versions, and fan variations.

Frostgrave

Xwing and Imperial Assault

Infinity

There's more but these have the best luck with their player base's size.

If the OP likes one of the games that people nearby play, then sure. It doesn't sound like he's picky, and I'm sure that they'll not have too much trouble trying out a demo game if there's a local community.

...myself though, I'd rather buy into something I like and try to recruit. If it's supported well enough to show up at my LGS, then someone must be playing it, or at least have some interest in it.

If it's some obscure one-off PDF-only from drivethru RPG then yeah, skip that shit, but if it's something that you are really into and are willing to put the effort in, you may be able to scare up a little community of your own. That's how every games community starts in every town. Don't expect to be able to play the specialist products with the full expansion sets, though.

If your goal is to simply find a thing to play, then yeah, try what people are playing locally, unless nothing is being played locally at all, in which case, good luck.